The Spaarn­dammer­bu­urt dis­trict is char­ac­terised by expres­sion­ist build­ings of the Ams­ter­dam School. One hun­dred years lat­er, they serve as inspi­ra­tion for new build­ings and areas in the neigh­bour­ing Houthaven.

In the 1920s, work­ers’ hous­ing was one of the main chal­lenges in Ams­ter­dam. Ambi­tious young archi­tects built “palaces for the work­ing class­es” in Spaarn­dammer­bu­urt, includ­ing the icon­ic Het Schip hous­ing com­plex. Recent­ly, a new hous­ing block has been insert­ed into this area which aims to trans­port the ideals of the 1920s into the 2020s.

A few hun­dred metres north lies the for­mer wood­ship­ping har­bour, one of the main new hous­ing dis­tricts in Ams­ter­dam. Sev­en man-made, car-free penin­su­las form a ridge struc­ture, lined with a total of 2700 flats, includ­ing 20% social rental housing.